Mildred Kerr

MILLIE (STEUTELBERG) KERR Mildred "Millie" Irene (Steutelberg) Kerr, 86, long time resident of Atlantic, passed away peacefully at Heritage House Thursday morning, July 9, 2009. Mildred Irene Stuetelberg was born the daughter of Fredrick and Gertrude (Jorgensen) Stuetelberg on October 5, 1922 in Wiota, Iowa. She attended school and graduated from Wiota High School. She moved to Omaha and then to Colorado where she was blessed with a family of three daughters and a son. The family moved to Atlantic in 1966 and Millie became a book-keeper, working for Cambridge Law Firm for 31 years. Millie was also a waitress for Vans Chat and Chew from where many of the area folks who became acquainted with her will remember her for making everyone feel like a special friend. She enjoyed playing cards, embroidery, bowling, ISU Basketball and was a fan of Michael Jordan. Some of her favorite things included her family and fun trips to Italy, several trips to California and Colorado and a trip to see her favorite singer, Ray Price. She tried to make every holiday memorable (especially Christmas). Her greatest accomplishment was raising four children as a single parent. She was a member of a card club, Business and Professional Women, Parents Without Partners and if there was such a thing, the "Going Out for Coffee Club." Her family will remember her for her honesty, warm-heartedness, her orneriness, being friendly and sociable, having a sense of humor and being a tremendous cook. She accompanied Charlene to many of Jennifer's sporting events and even went to college games and was faithful to organizing family reunions. She always said, "Life is too short to be mad," words of wisdom that will be strengthening reminders for her loved ones. Her survivors include her children, daughters Charlene Bates of Carson, Iowa and Sharon Hatjinos and her husband George of LaVista, Nebraska, her son Ron Kerr and his wife Marci of San Jose, California and her daughter Colleen Shumaker of Des Moines, Iowa; grandchildren, Holly Hatjinos, Kelci Spann, Matthew Steffens, Nick Bates, Lindsey Steffens, Austin Kerr, Nick Hatjinos, Natalie and Husband Jeff Saltzman, Jennifer and husband Joe Stump, Alli Hatjinos and Joshua Green; great grandchildren, Jayden, Dawson, Sydney, Summer, Samantha, Cameron, Makynzie, Ethan, Trenton, Asascia, Jaliyah and Hay Lynn; and her brothers, Robert Stuetelberg and George Stuetelberg and wife Thelma and sister-in-law Isla Stuetelberg of Atlantic. She was preceded in death by her parents; her grandson Chad Bates; brothers, Harold and Fred Stuetelberg; her sister-in-law Janet Stuetelberg; and an aunt Eda Stuetelberg. Funeral InformationA celebration of life will be held on Monday, July 13 at 10:30 A.M. at Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic. Pastor Bonnie Peterson of the Wiota Methodist Church will officiate. The committal service will be in the Atlantic Cemetery in Atlantic. There will be open visitation from 8:00 to 5:00 daily until family meets with friends from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. on Sunday at Rolands. For area church and cemetery directions, please click here:Church DirectionsCemetery Directions